Chapter Text
His sisters often receive admiring gazes from his peers, a fact that serves to disgust him as much as it amuses him. Miyoung, only one year younger than him, had long since made it clear to anyone who would listen how disinterested she was in continuing the family line.
She had all but abandoned her royal duties, instead choosing to trail behind the gardeners as they worked, pestering them with all sorts of questions for hours at a time. At night, Miyoung would be even harder to find, often perched in a tree somewhere on the grounds with her nose buried in a book she had managed to bribe a maid into bringing her from the markets outside.
Occasionally, however, she could be found in the training grounds patiently waiting her turn. It was probably this particular hobby of hers that caused the most strain in her relationship with their Father. Her complete indifference to the mere idea of being something within the realms of what was considered ‘ladylike’ behaviour, paired with her penchant for pulling pranks, meant that she had earned herself a reputation for behaving in a way that was more expected for a boy.
Not that she cared — a trait Noah envied more than anything else in the world.
He found he cared a lot, too much in fact. As much as he wished he could stand up against their Father, to look into his eyes and deny his commands even just once, he couldn’t risk losing his Father’s favour. Not when it was the only thing between Miyoung and their Father’s ire.
As it stands, Noah’s dedication to following in his Father’s footsteps, to continuing the line of exemplary Kings, shielded his siblings. He could take the words of condemnation so long as his siblings didn’t have to. It was his duty as the oldest, but even outside of that, it was his greatest privilege.
If he couldn’t play piano, he hoped to at least be able to gain some credit for Miyoung being able to tend to a garden in peace someday.
His younger sister, however, was exactly the kind of daughter their Father had hoped for Miyoung to be. Her only misfortune was being born fourth, which meant she would barely register on their parents radar unless she acted out of line.
Sometimes, Noah can see her potential — albeit briefly. Tina is kind and she forms bonds with their citizens freely. She doesn’t hesitate to issue requests, which does help people to feel useful.
The problem comes in the shape of her heart. Tina follows it almost religiously, doesn’t spare even a second to consider the ramifications of her actions. If something upsets her, she utilises her title to punish the perpetrator to the highest order. If something angers her, she calls on her favorite guards to be her sword and her shield.
Noah prays that as she grows older, these childish reactions would dissipate and she would become someone who acts with the kingdom in her best interests — even if she still sometimes acts rashly.
He hoped she wouldn’t resent him for casting such a dark shadow over her.
Their brother, known only as Quackity amongst both the kingdom and the palace for reasons Noah can’t seem to recall, had resented him from a young age. He understands it, of course. Quackity yearned for their parents' attention, wanted to be granted the opportunity to prove his worth, to stand by their Father’s side and learn everything there was to know about ruling the Kingdom.
So he resented Noah, because he got everything that Quackity dreamed of simply because he was born first.
Some days Noah found himself wishing he could relinquish his title and his responsibilities, give them all to Quackity and escape from it all.
The truth is that he knows he can’t. Despite everything, Noah cares for the Kingdom deeply. He cares for the civilians, the people who dedicate their lives to ensuring the royal family are safe and have all their needs met.
It’s because of this that he knows his brother should never be allowed to rule. He’s too impulsive, too quick to resort to war. Noah wants there to be peace, for each member of the kingdom to be able to live their life freely without worry, and he knows his brother wouldn’t hesitate to demand their obedience.
The most frustrating thing is the knowledge that Miyoung would be a worthy ruler, if something were to happen to him. She’s intelligent and can act logically when the situation calls for it — she would just need to accept her position. Something that he knows she would never choose to do.
But Noah is glad, in a way. Miyoung is steadfast in her independence, accepts every punishment she receives with little complaint — considers it a challenge to face the worst their Father gives without granting him the satisfaction of her smile faltering.
Noah has seen her skin decorated with bruises of green and purple, has watched her crouch down and barely wince at the pain that moving caused her. No matter what she had gone through, she would still find the strength to carry herself to her garden and continue tending to her various plants.
Noah remembers once, when he was only 15 and Miyoung had refused to meet with the Crown Prince of a neighboring realm for months until eventually their parents had sprung it upon her. Instead of letting her discomfort and anger be visible, Miyoung had simply shown him proper etiquette until their parents had left them alone to ‘chat’ — most likely so they could begin discussing the future of their marriage.
Once the pair had been left alone, Miyoung had taunted the Crown Prince, treating him as if he were below her. She’d borderline interrogated him on his knowledge of plants until he’d begun to crack, his patience wearing thin. Then, she had proven she knew more of his own kingdom's history than he did — this only served to embarrass him, and there is nothing more infuriating for a Crown Prince than to be humiliated.
The final dagger was when she had challenged him to a duel in front of both their parents and a sampling of the royal guard, only to have him flat on his ass within 10 seconds flat. Noah had watched with a barely concealed smile — it was fun to finally get to see someone else be bested by her.
The Crown Prince had, of course, immediately called off the potential engagement. “I doubt you will find anyone willing to marry a Princess like her! If this is the behaviour that the royal family here not only allows but encourages —” He glares in Noah’s direction as he speaks, before turning his attention to his own parents, “then we have no business to conduct here anymore.”
With that, he stormed off and his mother hurried after him toward their carriage. The King turned to look at Noah’s Father, giving one solemn nod before he strode off, leaving the Royal Family of Rusty Bones standing on the steps of their castle.
The punishment they both received hadn’t been light. They had embarrassed not only themselves, not only the Kingdom, but also their Father — Noah knew that if his siblings conducted themselves better, his Father wouldn’t have hesitated to have them both locked in the dungeon for the rest of their lives.
When he looked over at Miyoung, he could tell she had realised this too.
Noah had gotten off luckier than she had. The King hadn’t allowed any visible bruises on Noah as he felt it wouldn’t be fit for the Crown Prince to be seen with anything marring his skin lest it come across as weakness to their people.
Miyoung… had been less fortunate. She rarely made appearances in front of the court, and for several months she made none at all. Father had forbidden any of the siblings from interacting with her.
This was the one time he directly went against his Father’s orders.
Thankfully, and he’s sure it was a decision on their Mother’s part, Boulder had been stationed in front of Miyoung’s bedroom. He hesitated when Noah approached, unsure as to whether he should go against the King’s wishes, until Noah rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled kindly.
“Boulder, I get you don’t want to go against Father and trust me, I won’t hold it against you if you say no. You’re a good guy, I don’t want you to get in trouble, you know? But,” He glances at the ornate wooden door that stands between them and his sister, “I just wanted to ask for her assistance on some of my literature studies. It’s important that I, as the Crown Prince, seek advice from others in order to better rule this Kingdom, don’t you think?”
Boulder’s face doesn’t convey any of his emotions, but he turns his head to look down the long, empty hall. He then turns his body to face away from the door and clears his throat. “I must insist you don’t go against the King’s orders, my Lord.”
“Yes, you’re probably right. I’ll just head to my bedroom and try to figure it out myself.” Noah smiles, pats Boulder’s shoulder once more and pushes the door open, slipping inside as quietly as he can. He turns, about to close the door before he leans slightly forward and pushes his face through the gap. “You’re a good man, Boulder.”
Noah closes the door and turns around to see Miyoung curled up by the window, nose buried in her book. He can see fresh bandages on her forearms, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. He’s sure she’s in unimaginable pain, but she refuses to show it.
She looks in his direction and once she sees it’s him, she lowers her book. “Oh, hi. Have you read this one?” She holds the book up and it’s a fairytale, one that seems to be more Tina’s usual taste than Miyoung’s.
“It’s about a Princess who’s locked in a tower, unable to go outside. I wanted to give it to Tina for her birthday, but the way things are going I’m probably not going to be able to attend her party, let alone give her a gift.” Miyoung sighs, dropping the book to her lap and stretches her arms above her head.
“Yeah — I don’t really have any news on that front. Sorry.” Noah approaches, settling himself on the chaise across from her. “How are you holding up?”
“Well, I’ve definitely been better, but it’s whatever. Mostly just missing my plants — I hope that idiot Blau hasn’t killed them already. Surely he’s good for something, right?”
Noah laughs and waves his hand dismissively. “You left Blau in charge? Well — it’s a good thing you love gardening so much, ‘cause you’re gonna be starting from scratch.”
Miyoung groans and buries her face into her hands. “Don’t say that — but you’re probably right.”
“You’re right, I shouldn’t have said it. We both already knew that anyway.” He reaches out and pats his hand against her leg, promptly pulling his hand away when he catches her jaw clench.
He doesn’t mention it. Neither of them particularly like talking about the punishments they get. It’s better to ignore it — makes it easier to deal with if you can just pretend it didn’t happen — even if it’s just for a little while.
“Has Mother taken you to the Casino recently?” It’s as close as they get to acknowledging them. Between Miyoung and Noah, they discuss the way their parents apologise — it’s almost laughable, the fact that neither of them actually say anything. Father takes Noah to the Colosseum and they practice combat, while Mother takes Miyoung to the Casino and teaches her blackjack.
“Not yet, but I’m sure she’ll come by soon. I’m getting pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. Wait — look at this.” She gets up and crosses the room to her fireplace, reaches her arm up and pulls out pieces of paper before coming back. “Hey, do you remember this?” She holds the book up in front of him.
Noah tilts his head to the side. “Hmm… wait — you still have that?” He lets out a laugh, reaching out to take it from her. “That was years ago.”
When they were much, much younger, the pair decided they wanted to make their own history book. They didn’t really know much about the history of the kingdom, or anything that happened before them, so they decided to just make it up. It’s full of complete inaccuracies and misspellings, along with drawings done by Tina and Quackity (they’d begged to contribute to it and neither Noah or Miyoung could be bothered fighting them on it).
When he gets to the last page, where they’d all signed their names, there’s a map hastily-drawn underneath Quackity’s signature — which, at the time, was just a drawing of a duck. “Where does this go?”
“I keep all the scrap I’ve earned there. I want to save enough so I can set myself up comfortably and live amongst the people. Maybe start a farm or something, you know?” Miyoung shrugs her shoulders, turning to sit back in her chair.
“Oh, okay. I mean — I can understand that. But, like, I guess I don’t understand why you’re showing me this.”
“It’s just in case, you know? What if I get sold off like Father clearly wants, or, like, I — you know, if something happens to me, someone should get the scrap. I don’t want it to be Father and I don’t want Tina or Quackity to find it and tell him.”
“Okay, well. First of all, don’t underestimate yourself. You’re doing a really good job at making sure you don’t get married anytime soon! Also, I don’t think anything bad is gonna happen to you.”
“Thanks, man. But that’s — poor choice of words, bro.” Miyoung sticks one of her arms out and twists it, pointedly showing the bandages that curl around her arm, holding her tightly. “I’m pretty sure bad things are gonna happen, aren’t you?”
Noah laughs, but it’s dry, forced. They coat their lives in whimsy and humor, a method of handling the agonies that come with the expectations graciously bestowed upon them by their ancestors they’d learned when they were much, much younger. “I guess when you put it like that…”
Miyoung takes the pamphlet back and returns it to its hiding place in the fireplace. Seconds after she’s finished tucking it away, there’s a singular, light knock at the door. “My Lady, just to inform you that your Mother is on her way to talk with you.”
“Yeah, figures. Thanks Boulder!” Miyoung hurries over to the door that leads to the balcony, yanking it open as Noah stands up and sorts the cushion he’d been sitting on. If anyone else had been in the room with them, it would have become blatantly obvious that this was a practiced routine.
Noah heads out onto the balcony and climbs onto the railing, preparing himself for the jump to his own balcony. He looks over his shoulder to where Miyoung is leaning against the doorframe and rolling her sleeves back down.
Their Mother didn’t like seeing Miyoung’s injuries when she was taking her to the Casino — it made her feel like a bad mother.
“See ya when you’re allowed out again without… supervision.” He glances through the windows into the room and hears two knocks — Boulder’s way of letting them know the Queen was within eyesight now.
He was barely older than Noah and had basically been by the siblings side for as long as the three of them can remember. He’d really been their only friend for a long time, which meant he was willing to assist them how he could, so long as it meant he wasn’t directly breaking rules — which they wouldn’t ask him to do.
As much as the punishments they received hurt, they knew that what would happen to Boulder would be much, much worse.
Noah leaps across and manages to grab hold of the railings that line his own balcony, hoisting himself up and over as he listens to Miyoung address their Mother behind him.
It makes him think of when they were younger, before the tree that stood proudly between their balconies had been cut down as punishment. Trausi had built a rudimentary tree house for them to share one year, a gift — Noah thinks it was to provide them with a space that their younger siblings couldn’t access. A way to soften the blow that it wouldn’t just be Miyoung and Noah anymore.
Surprisingly, neither of them had responded badly to the news. They weren’t particularly excited, sure. They’d become accustomed to their lives, had intricate plans and procedures in place that only they and Boulder knew about. Would their siblings become people they could trust too?
Only time would tell.
But he remembers when they were 7 and 8 respectively and they still had the tree house. They’d both angered their parents — he doesn’t recall what they’d done, but he was sure it was something stupid. Maybe Miyoung had done his homework for him, or Noah had taken the blame for something that their parents knew had been Miyoung’s fault.
The chef often gave them leftovers to store in the tree house, stored in an ornate wooden box decorated with shining gold around the edges. The box sat open between them, crumbs clinging to the corner of their mouths.
It wouldn’t be long before they were found by someone who feared their parents much more than they liked them. But for now, it was peaceful.
“So — what do the plants, like, do?” Noah asks, nudging Miyoung’s leg with the tip of his shoe.
“They’re plants, idiot. They just grow.” Miyoung doesn’t look up from the plant pot she’s cradling in her hands. It was a gift from an old tutor, one that had resulted in her being fired without so much as a goodbye. It was too much of a distraction, according to their parents. Miyoung already pays little heed to the responsibilities that come with her birthright, after all.
She had taken care of it ever since with the utmost attention. It lived in the tree house, the only space that adults never bothered trying to enter. There were small holes in the wood and she carefully repositioned it every time she could, trying to find the spot that had the most light.
“Obviously I didn’t mean that.” He rolls his eyes, kicking her a little harder this time. “I know that they eat the sun and that’s how they grow, Miyoung.” He sticks his tongue out at her when she looks up and leans across to hit him with her book. “I mean, like, uh. Uh — wait a second.”
He leans away, closer to the makeshift doorway. It’s just torn up fabric attached to the wood above a hole that they can only just manage to fit through, but it gives them enough privacy from the rest of the world.
“They eat the sun? Wow, you really are an idiot, huh?”
Noah kicks her again.
“Stop kicking me! Just because you have no idea how plants work, that’s not my fault. Read a book or something, jeez.” Her eyes squeeze shut as she sticks her tongue out in his direction.
“Shut up! I think I can hear someone coming —”
“Crown Prince Noah, Princess Miyoung, your majesties. Your presence is requested in his royal highness the King’s study. As soon as possible, please.” Their new attendant speaks firmly, but makes no move to forcibly enter the tree house.
Noah makes eye contact with Miyoung, notices the way she furrows her eyebrows and then breaks eye contact. “Yeah, yeah. Can you let them know we’ll be right there — I’m just drafting a response to Prince Mendo first. We can’t leave him waiting for too long, after all.”
There’s silence for a moment, before Boulder responds. “Very well. I’ll let them know to expect your arrival shortly.”
The pair listen as Boulder walks away and then take a deep breath simultaneously. Miyoung leans back against the wall behind her and tilts her head upward. “There’s only so long they’re going to let you use that excuse, you know.”
“Yeah, that’s probably true.” Noah nods, leaning forward to lift the unsealed envelope that’s sitting inside the ornate box, tucked beside several other pre-prepared letters they’d written for these precise situations and tucks it inside his shirt. “Soon it’ll be your turn to use it instead.”
Miyoung simply groans, closing the box and tucking it underneath a blanket she’d had from birth. She stands up, her head ducked down so as to fit in the cramped space of the tree house. Noah follows suit and heads out first, carefully moving across the branch before jumping and landing on the railings of his balcony.
He climbs down and heads into his room, listening to Miyoung grunt as she lands on the balcony behind him.
He knew, even at such a young age, that whatever was awaiting them wouldn’t be good. They’d done something wrong, something silly and childish that wasn’t befitting of their status. Even in the comfort of their own home, they were expected to always be performing to their Father’s standards.
Noah knew, generally, how to conduct himself to avoid most of his Father’s ire. But sometimes he was still messy, or he forgot which utensil to use for which course during dinner. His Father hated when he took the fall for his sister as he felt that the Crown Prince should never exhibit any flaws, should never allow himself to reveal any favor toward anyone.
Not even his own sister.
But Noah couldn’t help it. She was the only person who shared his worries, his fears. Even though they never talked about it, there was comfort in having someone else who understood. They had each other’s backs, even when it felt like nobody else cared.
To the rest of the world, they were simply symbols of the royal family. It didn’t matter who had the titles, not really. So long as someone did, so long as there was a Crown Prince, an heir to the throne in some capacity, everyone outside of that tree house was satisfied.
Much of Noah’s childhood memories consist of hurt, whether it be physical or emotional. His conversations with his Father were cold, structured. His Father spoke and Noah listened. Sometimes his Father would take him to the colosseum and would carefully instruct him on how to hold a bow, or he’d time how quickly it took Noah to grab his bow off his back and aim his arrow directly at War General Trausi’s head.
Noah always felt bad, and Trausi never moved. Even in those early days when Noah’s hands were too shaky, or when he fumbled and accidentally let go of the bowstring. The arrow would fire in Trausi’s direction, and he wouldn’t flinch away.
The memory reminds him of his Father’s last moments. How he stood perfectly still, completely composed. Even as Noah lifted his bow and pulled the string taut, the arrow aimed directly between his eyes. There had been a flicker of a smile on his Father’s lips, and then he was gone, tumbling out the window behind him.
“Are you ever… I don’t know. Are you ever, like, scared?” Foolish asks as the metal door slams shut behind him. He’s 25 now and he towers over most everyone else he comes across, his sister included. He’s broader than he was before — all of his time practicing various combat manoeuvres paid off. The crown rests snugly on his head, various gems glinting under the torchlights scattered around Miyoung’s home.
“Uh, I’m gonna need more than that. What are you talking about?” Miyoung responds from where she’s crouched, hammer in hand. She’s forever working on something that Foolish barely understands, even though he sometimes wishes he did. “Come hold this while I repair the wall.”
Foolish crouches down beside her and holds the plank of wood over the hole and Miyoung nails it into place. It’s rudimentary, not nearly as secure as the thick stone that the castle is built from, but he knows she values having her own space more than her safety. “I mean, what if I turn out as bad as —”
“I’m gonna stop you right there, your highness.” Miyoung rests her arms on her knees and looks at him. “You’re nothing like Dad. You know it, I know it. Even Quackity knows it — probably.” She returns to the task at hand, pulls on the plank to make sure it’s sitting exactly how she wants it to before holding another nail up and hammering it into the wall. “We agreed that we weren’t going to talk about anything like that in here, so either you talk about something else or you go back to the castle.”
Miyoung can be harsh, but he never holds it against her. She’s right after all. Once their Father had ‘passed due to a heart attack that caused him to stumble and fall through the window in his studio’ — which had become the excuse they’d created to cover his part in said death — he had promised Miyoung her freedom.
She still occasionally gave advice, but more than that she gave him something akin to freedom. A space where they could simply be, where he can take off his crown and just be someone’s brother. For the most part, the citizens of the kingdom respected that rule. They rarely ever knocked on Miyoung’s door seeking advice, or pushing for yet another war.
“Alright, alright. But don’t call me ‘your highness’ again!” He settles in one of the shaky wooden chairs and spreads his legs out, taking the crown off and placing it on the table beside him. “What have you got to eat here anyway?”
“Seriously? Did you just come here to eat all my food or what, because that’s actually crazy.” Her actions contradict her words though, as once she’s finished nailing the plank to the wall in an attempt at patching up her home, she walks over to a barrel in the corner and pulls out some meat. “I’ll give you three, but after this you should really stop relying on me so much. I’m not always gonna be around to look after you —”
“Oh, please! Spare me!” Foolish responds, waving his hand around wildly. “I’m doing all the work, the least you could do is give me a little schmeat from time to time, Miyoung!” He bites back, but it’s still light-hearted. A small squabble between two people who know each other better than almost anyone, who can feel the weight of the world on their shoulders.
There’s a knock at the door and he tenses up automatically as they enter the code. He doesn’t even realise he was holding his breath until the door swings open and Ellum enters, whistling as a song that Foolish vaguely recognises.
“Sup Miyoung,” He waves his hand casually, completely undeterred by the fact he’s interrupted the pair. It’s a testament, really, to the amount of work they've put into reversing a lot of the tension their Father had created between the royal house and the kingdom. The fact that someone who lacks any noble blood whatsoever feels this comfortable with them makes him feel a little proud. “King Foolish, you good man?”
King Foolish. It’s a moniker he’d gotten not too long after his Mother passed away. He’d made his first royal address to announce her death to the citizens. It had felt unfair, really. He hadn’t even really processed it himself, but here he was standing in front of thousands, explaining how he and his siblings were now orphans and he was soon to hold his coronation.
He’d made a mistake, stumbled over his words. That’s all it had been. A brief slip-up. But there were many in positions of power who were loyal to his Father, who preferred his methods of doing things. They leapt at the chance to ridicule Noah.
He’s far too young to make a good King, he’s nothing like his Father. He’s too… foolish. Ha! Yes, that’s exactly it! God save the new king, King Foolish!”
Over the years, though, it had become something of a sign of affection. He grew to appreciate it for what it was — a representation of how different he was from his Father before him. He was approachable, patient. He tried to learn the names of everyone who graced his presence. He wanted them all to feel valued and cared for.
He stopped going by Noah after that.
“Ugh, Ellum — how did you even get in? Who told you the code?” Miyoung groans, dropping the meat onto Foolish’s lap.
It snaps him out of his thoughts and he tucks the meat into his backpack before Ellum can hurry over and snatch it out of his hands. “Just don’t send them to prison, it’s probably already occupied.”
“About that —” Ellum interjects with a laugh, hand running over his hair. “Trausi is looking for you. I think Quackity has had someone arrested or something, I don’t really know what’s going on to be honest with you.”
“Oh, boy. This oughta be good.” Foolish sighs and stands up, stretching his arms above his head and rolling his shoulders back. He lifts the crown from the table and hesitates for a second before placing it on his head once more. “See ya around, Miyoung.” He waves as he crosses to the door and she waves without looking, too busy rooting through her various barrels and boxes that are littered around her house. “You’re just lucky it’s not you in there, Ellum.”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to me—” Ellum begins to question, but it’s cut off by the door closing behind Foolish as he steps out into the chaos.
“I am the rightful King and I’m telling you to kill this man! He has offended me, I don’t need to explain any more than that to a peasant like you.” Quackity is standing beside the prison, arms folded across his chest.
Foolish drags his hands down his face and takes a deep breath. He pushes his shoulders back, fixing his posture like his Father would always instruct him to and strides over to prevent his younger brother from sentencing another completely innocent man to death over something trivial.
At some point, things will be better. Easier.
Just not today.